Getting started

Getting started

[hiren panchasara]

Hi all,

I want to start working on kernel development and as per everyone's
guidance I am starting with Janitor project. I am not able to
understand the TODO list on the janitor project site.

It would be great if someone can explain me how to get started and
actually work on something.

thanks,
/H

Re: Getting started

[Frederic Weisbecker]

On Tue, Jun 02, 2009 at 04:36:24PM -0700, hiren panchasara wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> I want to start working on kernel development and as per everyone's
> guidance I am starting with Janitor project. I am not able to
> understand the TODO list on the janitor project site.
> 
> It would be great if someone can explain me how to get started and
> actually work on something.


I'm not sure whether kernel-janitor is a good start.
I might be wrong though.

Actually what I would suggest to you is to involve in a subsystem
in which you are attracted.

A good thing to do is to lurk on bug reports, trying to find the
problems, applying fixes proposed and testing them, trying to fix
it yourself.

Another thing, may be one of the best: most of the subsystems have
people working on experimental projects.

Look at this page on the bottom:

http://lwn.net/Kernel/

(Section Recent kernel patches)

Here you'll find some fresh meat. Start by testing patches
from these experimental branches, report the bugs you
see (you will often see a good batch of bugs), see how they
are fixed. Try also to fix them yourself. And continue on
this process. Try also to help developing enhancements on these
projects. You might start walking on these floors as a blind
man in the beginning but it will become more clear by the time.
Also subscribe to linux kernel mailing list (and specific mailing
lists for the project you involve in) so that you can follow the
hot topics.

There are no secrets, just do it.


 
> thanks,
> /H
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Re: Getting started

[Charles 'Mack' Rhinelander]

I'm in a similar situation, I started kernel hacking a couple of weeks
ago.  I'm not much of a C programmer, and I've found the
kernelnewbies.org/FAQ section useful, particularly
kernelnewbies.org/FAQ/WhereDoIBegin That page describes lots of useful
things you can do just by compiling and running the kernel. I've
already submitted my first bug, a small thing in a makefile that kept
the -mm branch from compiling!

Mack Rhinelander

On 6/2/09, hiren panchasara <hiren.panchasara@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I want to start working on kernel development and as per everyone's
> guidance I am starting with Janitor project. I am not able to
> understand the TODO list on the janitor project site.
>
> It would be great if someone can explain me how to get started and
> actually work on something.
>
> thanks,
> /H
> --
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe kernel-janitors"
> in
> the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
> More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
>

Re: Getting started

[Kevin DuBois]

hiren panchasara wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I want to start working on kernel development and as per everyone's
> guidance I am starting with Janitor project. I am not able to
> understand the TODO list on the janitor project site.
>
> It would be great if someone can explain me how to get started and
> actually work on something.
>
>   
This is just general advice, but like I've found with adopting any new 
open source project (or any large codebase for that matter) the only 
_real_ way to make progress is to sit down at your computer with a lot 
of determination, and "bang your head against the wall" for a little 
bit. It always helps to have a clearly defined goal, like "make a driver 
work" or "implement this new algorithm". Every new project I've taken on 
has been like this, and kernel development is no different. "Just do it" 
is a lot easier said than done :D

It also helps to have a good grasp of operating systems concepts (about 
the level an undergrad OS course will give you) before starting. Usually 
people on the right IRC channels, or on mailing lists are very helpful, 
especially once they see you put some pseudo-useful code down.
> thanks,
> /H
> --
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe kernel-janitors" in
> the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
> More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
>   
Kevin DuBois
kdub432@gmail.com